Construction crane collapses on passenger train in Thailand, killing at least 32, officials say

LONDON -- At least 32 people were killed on Wednesday as a construction crane for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, government officials said.

At least 64 others were injured, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said in a statement. Thirty-one of those who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene, the ministry said, adding that another person died as they were being transferred to a hospital.

The crane crashed onto the train at about 9 a.m. as the train traveled between the Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations, in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

"Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages," the government said in an initial statement posted on social media. "Multiple rescue teams deployed."

The train, which had departed from Bangkok, was carrying 195 passengers and staff members, according to the State Railway of Thailand. 

Investigators were working at the scene to identify the dead and injured, according to Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the deputy prime minister and minister of transport.

Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement released by the railway that the initial death toll had been thought to be four, but that had since risen to at least a dozen.

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"These figures are currently being verified and officially confirmed by the relevant agencies on the ground," the minister said in Thai in a statement posted to social media.

The health ministry raised that figure again, saying several hours later that at least 22 people had been killed. The ministry in a subsequent update at about 4:30 p.m. said the toll had again climbed, hitting 31. The ministry said two hours later that the death toll at the scene had risen by one, adding that three people were also considered missing.

The bodies of the dead were transferred to Sikhiu Hospital, the ministry said, adding that many of the injured were being treated at several local hospitals. Eleven were still hospitalized as of the 4:30 p.m. update, the ministry said.

The train was listed as the Special Express Train No. 21, which connects Bangkok, the capital, with Ubon Ratchithani, a city in the northeast, according to the railway.